A trip down memory lane
Minnesota at Iowa
November 9, 1957
Hawkeye fans were mad. Forest Evashevski was mad. The Iowa football team was mad.
Who or what caused the Hawkeyes such irritation?
Time magazine.
Or, more specifically Time's sports publication, Sports Illustrated which ran a story "The Team that Quit" referring to the Hawkeyes who played for a tie against Michigan.
Hawk fans inundated the athletic department with letters of support for Evy. Local newspapers felt the deluge too as letters poured in from all over the state.
Evy proclaimed that he had big shoulders and that he just felt bad that his team was being labeled unfairly.
It's not like Iowa and its fans needed any help in getting fired up for a visit by the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, but things were at a fever pitch for the unsuspecting Gophers.
Minnesota came to Iowa Stadium with its own agenda.
Revenge.
In 1956 Iowa had knocked Minnesota out of the Rose Bowl with a 7-0 win at Minneapolis.
If revenge is truly a dish served cold, then November 19, 1957 was the perfect day as the temperature was 33 degrees with 18-28 mph winds from the northwest.
58,300 fans filed into sold out Iowa Stadium for Senior Day (the game sold out in August) to watch the Gophers take on the number five ranked Hawkeyes.
The Hawkeyes received the kick and Mike Hagler returned it 38 yards to the Hawkeye 41. Randy Duncan came out throwing and he hit Jim Gibbons for a 12 yard gain. Hagler then ran of tackle for one yard before Duncan returned to Gibbons for 11 yards. Hagler lost a yard around end and a Duncan pass to Robert Prescott (subbing for the injured Don Norton) fell incomplete.
Facing 3rd and long Duncan went to…you guessed it, Jim Gibbons for 13 yards. Billy Gravel took a pitch and scampered around end for 12 yards giving Iowa first and goal at the Minnesota 9 yard line. Duncan looked for Gibbons in the back of the end zone but the pass fell through Gibbons' fingers. Gravel then burst through the line for a 4 yard run. Facing 3rd and goal at the 5 Duncan rolled left and lofted a soft pass to Gibbons for the first score of the day. Prescott kicked the Pat and Iowa led 7-0.
The Gophers were highly motivated though and they plowed 79 yards in 14 running plays against the top ranked defensive rush unit in the country and the game was tied at seven.
Iowa came back with a similar drive. Staring at their own 31 the Hawks went to work on the ground. Hagler ripped off runs of 4, 2 and then 7 for a first down to the Iowa 44. Iowa then goes option and Gravel scoots around end for 6 and then, just before he was brought down he pitched to the trailing Duncan who picked up an added 25 yards
After Hagler bulled through the line for a 6 yard gain, Duncan found fullback John Nocera for a 15 yard gain to the Minnesota four. A couple of carries by Nocera left the ball at the one foot line where Duncan scored on the quarterback sneak.
Could the Gophers retaliate again? Things looked bleak when clipping on the kick return left them on their own 7 yard line. Three plays later Iowa had pushed Minnesota five yards back and facing 4th and long at their own two, Minnesota punted. The snap however, was bobbled. The punter ran to avoid the Iowa rush only to have the ball taken right from his grasp for an Iowa score. Iowa led 21-7 and Minnesota's hope for revenge seemed to be floating away like the frosty breath on the frozen field.
Both teams traded punts before the Iowa defense rose up again, this time Furlong picked off a pass at the Iowa 8 and returned it to the Hawkeye 48 with two minutes to play in the half.
That was 1:45 more than Randy Duncan needed as Jim Gibbons streaked downfield behind the Gopher secondary and hauled in his second touchdown of the day, a beautiful 52 yarder. The PAT was missed, but joyous Hawkeye fans didn't mind as Iowa took a 27-7 lead into half.
Minnesota was determined to show its resolve and they opened with a long drive for a score, but Jim Gibbons blocked the PAT and the score stood 27-13 Iowa.
Iowa hit a field goal to up the lead to 30-13 and then dug in and forced a three and out deep in Gopher territory. A poor punt gave Iowa the ball at Minnesota's 34.
A few plays later Duncan was plunging in for his second 1 yard score of the day and a 37-13 lead. However, Duncan dinged up his leg on the play and was held out of further action.
He wasn't needed on this day as reserve Olen Treadway came in to lead the surging Hawks. After a few short running plays moved the ball past midfield, Treadway handed off to Bill Happel, Sr. and Happel, showing speed that obviously skipped the next generation bolted 48 yards for the final Iowa touchdown.
Minnesota added a meaningless touchdown late, but Iowa had won the day convincingly, 44-20.
On the day, the Hawks never punted.
Gibbons caught 9 passes for a record 164 yards.
Iowa's number one ranked rush defense gave up 226 yards on the ground to the Gophers.
Iowa Lineup
LE - Jim Gibbons 6-3, 198 Chicago, IL
LT - Alex Karras 6-2, 229 Gary, IN
LG - Frank Bloomquist 6-2, 206 Waterloo, IA
C - Mac Lewis 6-6, 289 Chicago, IL
RG - Bob Commings 5-9, 174 Youngstown, OH
RT - Dick Klein 6-4, 251 Pana, IL
RE - Don Norton 6-1, 169, Anamosa, IA
(Norton was hurt. Robert Prescott 6-3, 192 started)
QB - Randy Duncan 6-0, 175 Des Moines, IA
LH - Bill Gravel 5-8, 173 Hobart, IN
RH - Mike Hagler 5-9, 165 Washington, D.C.
FB - John Nocera 6-1, 194 Youngstown, OH